For those who know my furballs...you know I have the 2 "elusives" ( kitties)in the basment. They have been there for 2 years. This is not of my choosing. There are no doors to the upstairs; they can come up at any time.
..they were ferels ( still are I guess). Anyway, I want to ask this panel for advise.

(1) I have tried every food imaginable and Tigger still has very runny poop. I did take a sample to the doctors..and no parasites of any kind...I don't know waht to do... any ideas????

which brings my to....

(2)...She is terribly matted. When she came to me she was beautiful; not a matt ball in site...now it's awful. Her hair near her bum is matted...her top is matted.she is one big Matt....but she won't let me near her to help. I can only pet her head and her neck..the minute my hand goes any further she bolts.

I bought some Gravol to make her drowsy. ( vet's suggestion..12.5 mg) Has anyone ever tried it on their cats???? Is it safe...I need to shave her!!!!

So in a nutshell....I need a food that hadrens the stool and a good drug to put her to a safe drowsiness state without causing bodily harm to me or her...help please.

Love4himies

June 17th, 2008 02:54 PM

I did try gravol many, many moons ago for traveling with a cat (back in the 70's) I didn't find it made him drowsy and certainly not drowsy enough to shave.

Good luck.

Oops, sorry don't have any advice for you.

What are you feeding her now, any grains?

loopoo

June 17th, 2008 03:07 PM

when my kitty had a pancreatic attack, we simply put her on baby food, pure grade 1 chicken for a few days no other ingredients, this helped the diarrhea stop while we were treating her otherwise as she absorbed it all easily. i have heard pumpkin helps for both constipation and diarrhea. best of luck with your kitty i hope she is feeling better soon:goodvibes:

ancientgirl

June 17th, 2008 03:14 PM

I think if I remember correctly some posters give their cats with runny poop butternut squash baby food or sweat potato. If I'm wrong hopefully someone will correct me, but I think that's what they've used.

As for your matted girl, maybe some Rescue Remedy in her water will calm her down enough to enable you to handle her. I've got a semi-feral of my own and I've been able to get hold of her coming from behind. I grab her with both hands under her arms and hold her firmly but not too tight. She growls like the dickens but when I get her on the counter for her medication I can administer her medication pretty safely. I give mine Prozac which my doctor recommended to help keep her anxiety, stress and aggression down while I attempt to integrate her to the indoor life, as it is no longer safe for her to live in my complex. I don't know if this is an option for you.

I hope you can get hold of her to shave her. It must be painful for her to be so matted.

TeriM

June 17th, 2008 04:08 PM

I agree that maybe trying something like prozac would be beneficial. I think you would probably need to trap and take her to the vet for sedation to be shaved :sad:. I think Growler was the one who uses the babyfood squash so I'm sure if you pm her she would be happy to help you. Is raw food an option for you?

As for leaving the basement, sounds like this could be quite the challenge if she won't let you pick her up. With Desi, she was terrified of Lucy when she first got here and I just used to pick her up and move her to the other side of the room and that forced her to at least walk back to her safe spot and eventually she realized there was nothing to worry about. Do the cats have a window or source of natural light in the basement?

cpietra16

June 17th, 2008 04:17 PM

Tigger would never let me catch her...the sad thing is that if I eperate the 2 cats in the basement...Charlie ( brother) would be better off because he seems like a people cat...Tigger onthe other hand has this fear of all humans...likes my dog and other cats...but never lets me close enough to get her...:sad:

ancientgirl

June 17th, 2008 04:22 PM

The Prozac I use for Czarina is a topical, I smear it on the inside of her earlobe. It also comes in pill and a liquid form I believe. Perhaps that's something you can put in her food. The only thing is, it takes up to 3 weeks to even begin running through their system to show change. That's just an option though, it may or may not be something you want to do. I just thought it might be something to help her come out of her shell a bit. You could always talk to your vet about it.

TacoGrl

June 17th, 2008 06:31 PM

[QUOTE=cpietra16;608503]Tigger would never let me catch her...the sad thing is that if I eperate the 2 cats in the basement...Charlie ( brother) would be better off because he seems like a people cat...Tigger onthe other hand has this fear of all humans...likes my dog and other cats...but never lets me close enough to get her...:sad:[/QUOTE]

Can you take Charlie upstairs and interact with him? Make him prefer upstairs...feed him treats, pet him and play with him...perhaps Tigger will come up to investigate :shrug: perhaps just to sit and watch at first, but if Tigger sees Charlie having fun, Tigger might warm up to the idea...

sugarcatmom

June 17th, 2008 07:04 PM

[QUOTE=cpietra16;608461]
(1) I have tried every food imaginable and Tigger still has very runny poop. I did take a sample to the doctors..and no parasites of any kind...I don't know waht to do... any ideas????[/quote]

What does she eat now and what have you tried? Dry or wet? What brands and flavours?

Other than food, it's also possible that this is Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which is a manifestation of stress. A feral cat living in a basement, even if all of her physiological needs are met and it's safe and quiet, could still be experiencing a great deal of stress.

[QUOTE=cpietra16;608461](2)...She is terribly matted. When she came to me she was beautiful; not a matt ball in site...now it's awful. [/quote]

This could also be related to diet and/or to stress.

[QUOTE=cpietra16;608461]I bought some Gravol to make her drowsy. ( vet's suggestion..12.5 mg) Has anyone ever tried it on their cats???? Is it safe...I need to shave her!!!![/quote]

I used Gravol once on my sister's cat many years ago. Didn't make her drowsy and instead, because I didn't get it cleanly down the hatch on the first try, she ran madly around the house for an hour foaming at the mouth. That stuff tastes nasty! Never again. I agree that she should probably go to the vet for sedation in this case.

thekatzmeow

June 17th, 2008 08:56 PM

Prozac for Cats??!!??

:confused: You folks seem far more informed and experienced in the pet/cat department; however, I've never heard of Prozac for a cat!! While I haven't studied animals, I have studied psychotropic drugs extensively. My concern would be that the cat might get something called "Serotonin Syndrome". It's akin to an overdose of Prozac and in humans can cause exteme headaches, nausea, nervousness, inability to sleep -- even death!! If vets are recommending it -- then it must be safe. But, I would still be very careful not to give a a cat too much! They are -- obviously -- much smaller than humans and I would assume the dosage of Prozac they get would be minimal, to say the least. Just my 2 cents here.:2cents:

ancientgirl

June 17th, 2008 09:36 PM

The dosage is given according to the weight so there is little danger of over dose. I've been reading up on it since my vet recommended it and it is used quite frequently.

CyberKitten

June 17th, 2008 09:42 PM

Have you tried canned pumpkin (NOT the real stuff, for some reason, it HAS to be the canned version)? And what about Rescue remedy in her water - or place a few drops on here fur where Tigger will have t lick it off. It does not have the ill effects some tranquilizers have. I am a physician so am loathe to give my cats sedatives unless they have no adverse effects. Cats on even small amts of sedatives can fall asleep and suffocate under something, have their breathing affected or fall because they are unsure what they are doing. Of course if you cab watch them fore the entire 12 hours plus a sedative's half life will be in their system or pick one that has a short half life. And whatever you do, DO NOT give her gravol or Valarian and really nothing without talking to your vet first!

Cocculine is also good- no adverse effects at all.

However, with cocculine or rescue remedy, she may fall asleep or at least be calm enough for you to do a little at a time. I would start with a bit and work up to more each time. You could also hire a professional (vet - not a groomer who knows nothing about meds) to do it for you. Or have the vet sedate her properly and then bring her to a groomer to get rid of the mats. with ferals, it can take time and patience. I shd say is almost a;lways does actually.

Good luck!!!

cpietra16

June 17th, 2008 10:14 PM

Thanks for all your input...
[U]Sugarcatmom[/U], she is now on Origene...but iI tried everything. I know that her stress must be high. but it has been 2 years and now I am thinking that she is just a very stressed cat who maybe should have been left outside.

[U]Mooki.[/U]....Her brother would do better upstairs, but I think that if I seperate the 2 Tigger would never survive being alone.

They actually both go upstairs but not all the way and never long enough...the basement seems to be their safe haven. My other cats will go there but they prefer upstairs.

[U]Cyberkitten[/U]...I will take her to the vets as soon as I can catch her. I want to sedate her properly without any harm to her.
I just feel like this is one of those cats that would be happier outside, even if it means a short life...
Cyberkitten, It was the vets suggestion that I try Gravol. But I think I will go back and see if I can put her on rescue remedy.
As for her food, I really tried everything..but I think Sugarcatmom is right it is probably stress.
I know she can be happy, I just don't know how to make it happen.

Catsnatcher who gave me the cats gave me ideas as well... but tough love is hard on me, and I know she knows it. But I may have to resort to it...She is so miserable...at least I think so.

CyberKitten

June 17th, 2008 10:45 PM

Gravol CAN work with some cats but maybe divide in two (vets for some reason do not think of the dosage). I guess I do because I am used to prescribing it for young children.

The prob with cats is that as with humans, gravol (and valarian) can have the exact opposite effects if what was intended. So maybe you could try her on a small amt of gravol - if you have time to monitor her for the duration. The 25 and 50 mg tabs can be broken up into 4 sections or you can buy children's gravol since the recommended dosage for cats is 10 mg.

But there are so many other excellent alternatives out there that you really do not need gravol.

I have treated the humans in the ER whio HAVE given cats gravol or valarian and came in with the blood and the scratches to show for it. Their cat went from a sweetheart to a raving maniac in a few seconds and they were in shock and so often they would say, "But my vet suggested...". So, based on that and just what I know about my own areas of research - one of which is medications - esp for antiemetic meds for children with cancer who are nauseated. - I would never in a million yrs give my cats gravol or valarian. Any sedative really except for Cocculine - which has been studied by reputable European agencies and Rescue remedy. Maybe if they were very ill and had OCD or some identifiable psychiatric illness that required it but not for travel or something like that.

growler~GateKeeper

June 18th, 2008 01:52 AM

[QUOTE=TeriM;608493]I think Growler was the one who uses the babyfood squash so I'm sure if you pm her she would be happy to help you.[/QUOTE]

Yup that's me :D Duffy gets a bit of butternut squash babyfood w/her meals to combat constipation, works also for diarreah, I mix it into her rawfood but since they are on dry you could try to give as a treat & see how they take to it. When you are down there petting her head & neck will she allow you to place a saucer infront of her? If so you can try 1/4 tsp of Heinz Organics pure pureed Butternut squash babyfood, alot of cats will lick it up just by itself.

Will she go into a crate willingly?
If not I know it sounds a bit rough (but sometimes neccessary :shrug:) but any chance you can just gently though firmly grab her by the scruff of the neck & quickly deposit her in an upturned crate for transport to the vet, there they can sedate her while still in the crate & off she goes to get shaved.

chico2

June 18th, 2008 07:21 AM

CPietra,oh no:sad:I have avoided asking about Tigger and her brother,although every time I see a post from you,I think of them.
I was hoping they'd be lap-cats by now,or at least become part of your kitty-family.
If Tigger is stressed,the severe matting and the pain of it,only adds to her problem,but I am sure you know that..:sad:
She always stuck in my mind,because she was such a beauty,long-haired brown Tabby and I was so happy when you took them in from Cat-Snatcher.
I don't see that there is any other way than letting a vet shave her under anesthesia,there is no way I could get even close with a shaver with my cats.

I don't think letting her outside after 2 yrs in your care,stress or not,would help her be happier,I think it would be a disaster,but I can understand how you feel:frustrated:

Many of our members today,don't know the story behind Tigger and your answer to Cat-Snatchers desperate plea for her and the other semi-ferals,maybe you can find a pic of her to show.

I really symphatize with you,it must be heartbreaking,Tigger pre-matts was such a beauty and I hope you find a solution:pray:

sugarcatmom

June 18th, 2008 08:13 AM

Couple of things:

Have you tried a Feliway diffuser in the basement? That might help her to feel more at ease.

As for food, have you tried any grain-free canned foods? Any with novel proteins like venison, duck or rabbit? One of the problems with Orijen is the number of protein sources in it, which may not be a good idea for a cat with digestive issues. It contains chicken, turkey, whitefish AND salmon, and fish in particular can be a common allergen. Also, as TeriM mentioned, what about a raw diet? [url]http://www.catnutrition.org/index.php[/url]

cpietra16

June 18th, 2008 09:26 AM

sugarcatmom, If i could put all my animals on raw I would...but with 5 cats, 2 dog and 3 small ( under the age of 10) kids, a full time job, and recently seperated..i just don't have time to do the raw diet. The only other food that did a little bit of difference ( and I mean i little) was science diet for sensitive stomachs...other than that she just has very runny stools. I will try the baby butter squash....haven't tried that yet. She won't go near pumpkin...and I will pick up some rescue remedy.

You know, with all the rescues i have had...:sad:I think Tigger was meant to be feral. I may have to seperate them and hpe fo rthe best. This will be a sad day because they only have each other.

ancientgirl

June 18th, 2008 10:13 AM

I thought the same thing about Czarina. I tried bringing her indoors last December and it was miserable. She was aggressive and incredibly stressed. She peed everywhere and attacked Kiska, who was at the time about 4 months old and recently spayed. I had been keeping Czarina in the hallway area of my apartment and one day she just got out.

She has been an outdoor cat for at least 3 years and she's estimated to be about 3 to 4 years old. I recently took her in again, because it is too dangerous to keep her outside anymore due to a very nasty neighbor who has threatened to poison her.

I spoke to my vet and asked her if there was anything I could give her to at least help her with her stress, anxiety and aggressiveness. My vet spoke with one of her collegues, who suggested prozac. I'm not saying this is the answer to every cat issue, but for me it was. The other vet had used prozac on other patients in the past with the same issues as Czarina, strays also and the results were amazing I was told.

It takes about 3 weeks to begin seeing results, but she will eventually become less anxious and nervous about her new surroundings, which will make it easier to accept the drastic change in her life. She's been on the prozac for 2 weeks tomorrow. I also have a feliway diffuser in the kitchen. She never used to use the litter, and now she is. She's also starting to venture out of her little safe bed and walk around the kitchen now and then. I have her separated from the others by a bamboo screen at the kitchen door opening and a heavy mesh over the pass through. There's a lot of hissing on her part, but not as much as the first time I had her. The first time I had her she was so stressed when she saw the others she foamed at the mouth constantly. Now she doesn't.

Your situation may be different. I don't know how you came by your Tigger. Perhaps bringing them upstairs and keeping them in a safe room together while you work with Tigger may help the situation. She'd not feel so alone with him there with her. :shrug:

sugarcatmom

June 18th, 2008 10:32 AM

[QUOTE=cpietra16;608786]sugarcatmom, If i could put all my animals on raw I would...but with 5 cats, 2 dog and 3 small ( under the age of 10) kids, a full time job, and recently seperated..i just don't have time to do the raw diet. [/quote]

I understand. You don't have to feed ALL the critters raw though. What about just the 2 downstairs? Also, you can buy pre-packaged frozen raw like Nature's Variety medallions, which make it as easy as opening up a can.

[QUOTE=cpietra16;608786]She won't go near pumpkin...and I will pick up some rescue remedy. [/quote]

Rescue Remedy is different from Feliway, which is a synthetic pheromone that mimics the scent of cat's facial secretions (like when they rub their cheeks on stuff - it's a "happy" scent). You could certainly try both, but because the Feliway is in a room diffuser that you plug into a wall outlet, it's much easier to administer and more consistent. My vet actually has Feliway plug-ins in all her exam rooms and I've noticed a difference in my own cat's level of stress during office visits since she began using them.

As for something else you can try to firm up the stool, some slippery elm bark powder mixed in with canned food or yogurt or plain meat baby food might help. Here's some info on that: [url]http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=slipperyelm[/url]

[QUOTE=cpietra16;608786]You know, with all the rescues i have had...:sad:I think Tigger was meant to be feral. I may have to seperate them and hpe fo rthe best. This will be a sad day because they only have each other.[/QUOTE]

I actually think it would be much better for Tigger if you didn't separate them. Ferals really need other cats around to feel safe and I would worry even more about her if she was alone.

chico2

June 18th, 2008 11:52 AM

As many people know,I buy my Feli-Way on E-Bay(twice now) and it works on Rocky and his spraying,I don't know how much effect it would have on someone like Tigger.
Also buying it from the vet is more than double the price.
Maybe you can still get it at Pet-Smart in Quebec,but here you can't anymore,not FDA approved or something like that.

CPietra,I know you are a kitty:angel2:but please do not seperate the two,her brother is all she feels she has..:cry:
Did you talk to C-S at all,maybe she could help getting Tigger to be shaved,she is the one Tigger was used to for a few years.
Rocky did not mind the Butternut squash in his canned food,but unfortunately it did no help much,his runny poop is probably from the Tapazole he takes for his HT.

cpietra16

June 18th, 2008 01:22 PM

I got some "animal rescue"... I hope its like rescue remedy...does anyone know this product.
I went home and put some drops in her water..I hope to see a difference sometime this week:pray:

Animal Rescue offers a broad ranging energetic and emotional support for animals in our care. It helps ease the effects of trauma and stress. Use it to calm and comfort animals. In the case of injury, it helps alleviate distress and supports healing action of other essences, as well as medicines and homeopathic remedies. Animal Rescue may also help dealing with behavior problems, especially if they relate to trauma, shocks or fear. In this case, look for gradual and incremental changes in behavior. Animal Rescue is the starting point for helping animals. It may be used by itself or at the same time as Animal Whisper & Animal Restore, as well as with any of the 12-Body Synergies.

How to Use This Essence:
Regular use: add 11 drops to water & food 2x or 3x per day.
In acute situations, Animal Rescue may be taken every hour - or more frequently if needed - until equilibrium is restored.
Put a few drops of essence in your hand and rub in the animal's gums or rub gently into neck and throat.